title: Patients' perceptions of cosmetic surgery at a time of globalization, medical consumerism, and mass media culture: a French experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The global popularity of cosmetic surgery, combined with mass media attention on medical consumerism, has resulted in misinformation that may have negatively affected the "collective image" of aesthetic practitioners.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The authors assess patients' perceptions of cosmetic surgery and analyze their decision-making processes.
  
  
  METHODS
  During a 2-year period, 250 consecutive patients presenting to either of 2 public hospitals for cosmetic surgery treatment were asked to complete a 7-item questionnaire evaluating their knowledge of opinions about, and referring practices for, aesthetic procedures. Patients undergoing oncologic, postbariatric, or reconstructive procedures were not included in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After exclusion of 71 cases for refusal or incompletion, 179 questionnaires were retained and analyzed (from 162 women and 17 men). Overall, repair (70.4%), comfort (45.3%), and health (40.8%) were the words most frequently associated with cosmetic surgery. Quality of preoperative information (69.3%), patient-physician relationship (65.4%), and results seen in relatives/friends (46.3%) were the most important criteria for selecting a cosmetic surgeon. Moreover, 82.7% of patients knew the difference between cosmetic surgery and cosmetic medicine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although potential patients appear to be more educated about cosmetic surgery than they were several years ago, misinformation still persists. As physicians, we must be responsible for disseminating accurate education and strengthening our collaboration with general practitioners to improve not only our results but also the accuracy of information in the mass media.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Meulan Regional Hospital, Meulan, France. lazarcalin@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Câlin Constantin
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lazar
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deneuve
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002755:Choice Behavior; D054626:Consumer Health Information; D003357:Cosmetic Techniques; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D008297:Male; D008389:Marketing of Health Services; D008402:Mass Media; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D057240:Patient Preference; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: aesthetic surgery; clinical management; cosmetic surgery; mass media; patient perception; patient preferences